PROCLAIM! Newsletter- Issue #10 November 7th 2013

Community Thanksgiving Dinner

Our church is going to break from the norm for Thanksgiving this year. We are going to have a meal together out in the community.

Originally, when we made these plans to meet at the North Collins Elementary school, I had no idea what to expect for a response from our church. Moving our usual holiday gathering into the community felt like a risk to this new pastor. What if people didn’t come out? What if they didn’t want to meet anywhere else but the church itself? It might not be that big in the grand scheme of things, but it certainly felt like a big step at the time, for me, if not for our church to make that decision months before we could even get a sense of how it might turn out. This was, and still is, unfamiliar territory for many of us. I am going to see inside of the school for the first time later today!

Yet, God is blessing us, we are growing, and we need more space to spread out, so I am glad that we took that step in faith. As of the time I am writing this, we already have more people signed up to say they are coming than can fit comfortably downstairs in our fellowship hall. So finally, I feel like I can relax a little and enjoy what is coming with you, especially since the goal our board and I had in mind is now being fulfilled. When we decided to make the move across the street, the goal was to provide space for people to be able to invite friends and family who do not attend our church to join us for the dinner. Now we actually need that space, and people are inviting their friends and family members to come. God is good.

So what can you expect when you arrive on Sunday evening? Megan Cook is coordinating with a small team of people to transform the school’s cafetorium with decorations into more festive home-style space. The church is providing roast beef for the main course, and we are asking everyone to simply bring a dish to pass. My wife and I will be bringing a pot of mashed red potatoes. We will also be having some live music in the background from a few members of the worship team. For my part, I plan on giving a short devotional and prayer before our meal to help us focus on the reason for our gathering. Expect some great conversations and an opportunity to deepen your friendships with people in our church, as well as the opportunity to meet their family and friends.

Please plan on arriving around 5:00 pm, and we’ll eat around 5:30 pm. It’s going to be a blast!

Also, please ask one of your friends or family members to join you for the evening,r simply just forward this email along. I’m sure they’ll get the message.